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Friday, October 7, 2011

Thompson Brothers BBQ (Smyrna, GA)

After a week on vacation and out of the country, the Georgia Barbecue Hunt is back! We couldn't wait to get back to what we love, and that's good BBQ. For our next stop we headed over to Thompson Brothers in Smyrna. This Oklahoma family has been serving BBQ here in Georgia for the last couple years and have made quite a name for themselves lately, so we decided to give them a visit.

When we first arrived Wednesday night around seven, this place was empty...literally. We were the only people there besides the cashier and cooks in the back. This usually doesn't speak well for any establishment, BBQ or not. The cashier was extremely cordial, not very knowledgeable about any of their BBQ techniques, but very courteous nonetheless. I spoke to him a little while about how all of the brothers were originally from Oklahoma, but now they all reside in Georgia for the sake of Thompson Brothers BBQ. One of the brothers even had a football career at the nearby University of Georgia. After talking to him for a little while, he suggested the "whole nine" since it was my first time visiting. The meal includes chopped beef, a pork spare rib, bologna, beef sausage, and baked beans. I'm not sure what Oklahoma's deal with smoked bologna is, but it was included so I didn't complain. We found an open seat (anywhere) and then eagerly waited...

We actually waited a good ten or fifteen minutes before our food was served. This makes me a little hesitant for the simple fact that there's no preparation involved with fresh BBQ. You slice it or chop it, put it on a plate, and it's done. If there's a long wait then they're either very busy or they're heating up your food. I could only guess which category our plate fell under. When the food finally arrived we were pleasantly surprised by our portions. For ten bucks you get more than your money's worth. The mound of chopped beef is piled on top of a few slices of bologna and placed in between a soft white bun. The chopped beef unfortunately, was old and flavorless. The same could be said about the brisket. None of it was fresh. I'm not saying it was yesterday's food, but it definitely tasted like it was. There's a difference between something that's a couple hours old and then brisket that's been in the refrigerator overnight and reheated. The sausage was decent. The ribs were pretty salty and tasted like they'd also been out for a little while. There was no smoky flavor on anything we had. Instead of being stuffed with fantastic BBQ, I ended up just indulging in the bologna sandwich. We couldn't take anymore of the beef, even doused in any of their sweet sauces.

The folks at Thompson Brothers that we talked to were great. They love BBQ and we wish them the best. Unfortunately, the food was below par this time around. On to the next stop...

3 comments:

I was there a few months back and had a little better experience...looks like they are probably more of a lunch spot than dinner. Enjoyed your review. If you didn't see mine yet here it is:http://bbqreview.blogspot.com/2011/07/thompson-brothers-bar-b-q-atlanta.html

Thats just sad. I've tasted a lot of BBQ crap over the years and I'm always blown away how these joints continue to stay open. I tried smoked bologna for the first time during my OK/TX trip a couple months back. It was good at first but then the fact that its still bologna sinks in. I can say been there done that. Well, it sucks that y'all didn't find another diamond in the rough, but I guess it wouldn't be fun if it was all good. Thanks for another great post. Looking forward to the next one.